Hi Zanna67, 

6-8 weeks can seem like a long time when being given an urgent referral by your GP but it seems like you have been told this is the time you are expected to wait in your area to be seen at the breast clinic. I can understand it feels rather long and I hope that you will hear from the experiences of other members of our community who have had a similar referral before and who will be able to tell you how long it took for them to be seen. Since you mentioned you have signed up for private healthcare, it might be worth trying to find out how long it would take if you were seen privately and if it would make a difference or not to be seen earlier. Talk to your GP maybe about this and see what they would advise. We have information on our website on urgent referrals which you might find useful to read as well as on referrals to a breast clinic. Breast Cancer Now also have a page on what happens at a breast clinic appointment which will give you a good indication as to what to expect. 

It's normal to be worried when dealing with a long wait for tests and answers and I thought I would share with you these helpful tips to help you cope while waiting for important news. Try and find out what your options are by asking your doctor for their expert thoughts on whether going private would make a difference or not and once you have all the answers on this, all you can then do is wait to be seen and try if you can not to be too anxious about the wait and have faith in the breast clinic system as you will be in the best possible hands to get a definite diagnosis. 

I am keeping everything crossed for you that it all turns out to be fine. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator